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Digging to Australia
Jennifer is a girl on the brink of adolescence and afflicted with all the attendant muddle and confusion. Her homelife is somewhat strange (her father, Bob, insists on naked calisthenics every morning for the whole family and her gray-haired mother placidly goes along), she has no real friends (and therefore lives in her imagination much of the time) and yearns to be popular, more normal. And then her already off-center world is thrown completely topsy-turvy when she learns that her supposed parents are really her grandparents, that her mother fled years ago, and that, worse yet for someone about to turn thirteen, her real birthday is now much later in the year. Seeking escape both in her fantasies - her favorite book has long been Alice in Wonderland - and in real life - through her friendship with her obsequious new schoolmate, Bronwyn, and with the sinister Johnny, who dwells in a forgotten, never-consecrated church - Jennifer is about to undergo her own adventures in her own wonderland, with terrifing and final consequences she cannot (yet) even imagine.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
1 person is currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Glaister
47 books401 followersNovelist Lesley Glaister was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. She grew up in Suffolk, moving to Sheffield with her first husband, where she took a degree with the Open University. She was 'discovered' by the novelist Hilary Mantel when she attended a course given by the Arvon Foundation in 1989. Mantel was so impressed by her writing that she recommended her to her own literary agent.
Lesley Glaister's first novel, Honour Thy Father (1990), won both a Somerset Maugham Award and a Betty Trask Award. Her other novels include Trick or Treat (1991), Limestone and Clay (1993), for which she was awarded the Yorkshire Post Book Award (Yorkshire Author of the Year), Partial Eclipse (1994) and The Private Parts of Women (1996), Now You See Me (2001), the story of the unlikely relationship between Lamb, a former patient in a psychiatric ward, and Doggo, a fugitive on the run from the police, As Far as You Can Go (2004), a psychological drama, in which a young couple, Graham and Cassie, travel to a remote part of Australia to take up a caretaking job, only to be drawn into the dark secrets of their mysterious employers. Nina Todd Has Gone (2007) was another complex psychological thriller. Chosen, a dark and suspenseful book about a woman trying to rescue her brother from a cult, was followed by Little Egypt in 2014. This novel - set in the 20's in Northern England and Egypt, won a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. Her next novel, The Squeeze, published 2017, centres on a relationship between a teenage Romanian sex-worker - a victim of trafficking - and a law-abiding, family man from Oslo. It's an unusual and (of course, twisted!) love story. Because not all love is romantic. In 2020 Blasted Things was published. This one is set just after World War 1 and is about the warping after-effects of a global war on society and on individuals. The two main characters, Clementine and Vincent, both damaged in different ways, must find their way in the post-war period. For them this results in a most peculiar kind of relationship and one that can only end in distaster.
Lesley Glaister lives with her husband in Edinburgh with frequent sojourns in Orkney. She has three sons and teaches Creative Writing at the University or St Andrews. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Lesley Glaister's first novel, Honour Thy Father (1990), won both a Somerset Maugham Award and a Betty Trask Award. Her other novels include Trick or Treat (1991), Limestone and Clay (1993), for which she was awarded the Yorkshire Post Book Award (Yorkshire Author of the Year), Partial Eclipse (1994) and The Private Parts of Women (1996), Now You See Me (2001), the story of the unlikely relationship between Lamb, a former patient in a psychiatric ward, and Doggo, a fugitive on the run from the police, As Far as You Can Go (2004), a psychological drama, in which a young couple, Graham and Cassie, travel to a remote part of Australia to take up a caretaking job, only to be drawn into the dark secrets of their mysterious employers. Nina Todd Has Gone (2007) was another complex psychological thriller. Chosen, a dark and suspenseful book about a woman trying to rescue her brother from a cult, was followed by Little Egypt in 2014. This novel - set in the 20's in Northern England and Egypt, won a Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Award. Her next novel, The Squeeze, published 2017, centres on a relationship between a teenage Romanian sex-worker - a victim of trafficking - and a law-abiding, family man from Oslo. It's an unusual and (of course, twisted!) love story. Because not all love is romantic. In 2020 Blasted Things was published. This one is set just after World War 1 and is about the warping after-effects of a global war on society and on individuals. The two main characters, Clementine and Vincent, both damaged in different ways, must find their way in the post-war period. For them this results in a most peculiar kind of relationship and one that can only end in distaster.
Lesley Glaister lives with her husband in Edinburgh with frequent sojourns in Orkney. She has three sons and teaches Creative Writing at the University or St Andrews. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 22, 2013
This is a superb coming of age novel. You might need to be of a certain era to appreciate it fully, but I found it so evocative. The characters are eccentric and believable. And the feel of being a teenager, when one minute you had a moment of revelation and the next, you could nt believe you got it so wrong.
The school jumpers just slighly different from the ones bought from the recommended outfitters, and the little book charm on the charm bracelet!!!!
A tender emotional book about relationships, one I could nt set down until Id finished
The school jumpers just slighly different from the ones bought from the recommended outfitters, and the little book charm on the charm bracelet!!!!
A tender emotional book about relationships, one I could nt set down until Id finished
April 10, 2021
This was a joint read (a re-read for me).
A coming-of-age story told through the eyes of 13-year-old Jenny.
Love her writing. This particular story holds a special place and I'm not sure why. It may be the first Glaister I read or I understand Jenny's emotions.
I like that she leaves things unsaid and it's up to you to 'fill the gaps'.
Looking forward to the next joint read of hers.
A coming-of-age story told through the eyes of 13-year-old Jenny.
Love her writing. This particular story holds a special place and I'm not sure why. It may be the first Glaister I read or I understand Jenny's emotions.
I like that she leaves things unsaid and it's up to you to 'fill the gaps'.
Looking forward to the next joint read of hers.
April 29, 2009
A truly fascinating story, full of twists and darkness. Loved it! Bought at Wellington airport when I had too much time to kill and only one bookstore to occupy me. Great find.
April 9, 2021
In essence, Digging To Australia is a coming of age story. Jennifer is a 12-year-old who comes from a peculiar family. She is raised by her grandparents who are not like most. Her grandfather is a nudist and seldom wears clothes, he also has strange ideas about television which is banned from his house. Jennifer herself is the weird kid at school, with unfashionable clothes and hair that has never been cut. And she has no friends.
On Jennifer's 13th birthday her world changes. She learns the truth about her mother and her attitude towards her grandparents shifts because of the way they have deceived her her whole life.
There are other changes. An even stranger girl, Bronwyn, starts at school and latches on to Jennifer. Brinwyn, it turns out, is a habitual liar.
One other major character appears - Johnny, a refined 'tramp" who lives in a derelict church. He has a dangerous air about him and Jennifer is drawn towards and at the same time frightened of him.
To me, and others will disagree, the main theme of the story is the fantasies we construct in our minds. Bronwyn's lies, and other characters' views of reality are symbolic of Jennifer's imagination and the stories she tells herself about her life. Her fantasies and fact are blurred and I was unsure by the end what was real and what was fake.
A good story and an entertaining read. The writing itself was excellent with some brilliant smilies and metaphors. Slightly disappointed with the ending as a couple of issues were not clarified. But that goes with the idea of not knowing what is real and what is not.
On Jennifer's 13th birthday her world changes. She learns the truth about her mother and her attitude towards her grandparents shifts because of the way they have deceived her her whole life.
There are other changes. An even stranger girl, Bronwyn, starts at school and latches on to Jennifer. Brinwyn, it turns out, is a habitual liar.
One other major character appears - Johnny, a refined 'tramp" who lives in a derelict church. He has a dangerous air about him and Jennifer is drawn towards and at the same time frightened of him.
To me, and others will disagree, the main theme of the story is the fantasies we construct in our minds. Bronwyn's lies, and other characters' views of reality are symbolic of Jennifer's imagination and the stories she tells herself about her life. Her fantasies and fact are blurred and I was unsure by the end what was real and what was fake.
A good story and an entertaining read. The writing itself was excellent with some brilliant smilies and metaphors. Slightly disappointed with the ending as a couple of issues were not clarified. But that goes with the idea of not knowing what is real and what is not.
February 22, 2021
I picked this up in a charity shop for 50p and it was such a hidden treasure. The title itself made me wonder would it could be about. I loved the little references to Alice in Wonderland. The characters resembling The hatter, the white rabbit and the queen of hearts through the eyes of a troubled and anxious young girl suffering with wonderland syndrome. It truly makes you feel how gloomy and bleak the 1960’s were in the UK. You feel there isn’t much hope for the children and the adults have given up for any sort of future. Though not a big book itself ‘I managed to finish it in two days’ it holds such a substance that really makes yoy want more from these characters. Depressed, anxious, sexually confused. Are words that come to mind when you hear the words they say in each chapter. Jennifer, the main protagonist, is described as a plain and unattractive girl. Though with a personality made of stone and moodiness. The abandonment from her mother and the almost emotionless relationship with her grandparents really makes you understand why Jennifer reacts this way. It takes quite a sinister turn when she meets a character named Johnny ‘The Mad Hatter’ inside an empty church. You never can tell if his words are sincere or hold a deeper intention. Lies or the truth? he’s charming and mysterious. I truly enjoyed this little book. As short as it is, it really made an impact and kept me thinking throughout the week.
October 11, 2017
This the tale of Jennifer whose life is turned upside down when she finds out her parents are really her Grandparents. In a fit of rebellion she bunks off school & meets the sinister Johnny, a meeting which will have serious consequences for Jennifer & her new "friend" Bronwyn.
Glaister gives a dark twist to this seemingly ordinary tale & you can never be sure which way the story will go next...an excellent read.
Glaister gives a dark twist to this seemingly ordinary tale & you can never be sure which way the story will go next...an excellent read.
January 9, 2025
Well if I’d not been given it to read I’d have put it in the bin …. Some how it was nostalgic but not enjoyable
October 24, 2024
An immensely satisfying one-sitting read which evokes the dislocation, misunderstandings and ignorance of thirteen and the lies and awful behaviour one is capable of, in writing which is calm, compelling and lucid. [paperback version]
Re-reading. As ever, an intriguing beginning and (because I had forgotten it (and never read the blurb) the whole of it continued in the same vein. I thoroughly agree with my first review.
Re-reading. As ever, an intriguing beginning and (because I had forgotten it (and never read the blurb) the whole of it continued in the same vein. I thoroughly agree with my first review.
January 29, 2010
A miserable book about miserable people. It was quite demoralising.
February 12, 2014
My first Lesley G book. Beautifully done. Pervading menace from the start. The voice of 12-year-old Jennifer very well done.
March 13, 2015
Une lecture assez passionnante bien qu’oppressante et même un peu gluante. Une très belle écriture néanmoins.
November 8, 2015
Digging to Australia (Lesley Glaister), 7: 13-year-old girl in 60s England around X-mas finding out family secrets & facts of life & death.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews